A Smile In The Embers
by rougescribe
Summary: The lonely mansion held many servants and visitors, but the walls were always cold even in the hottest of summers. Lucy Heartfilia dreams of nothing more than to finally feel the warmth of a friend, something beyond the death she feels in her own home. One-freezing winters night- a secret wish comes true in the most strangest of ways. / Alternate Universe Nalu. Complete!
1. Warm Companion

**This is a small- holiday story that I've been plotting for a couple of months now. It's only going to be about 5 Chapters long. (Possibly shorter.)**  
 **All chapters will be posted before Dec. 25th- please enjoy!**

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 **.Warm Companion.**

On cold nights when even the servants couldn't be bothered to patrol the halls, Lucy Heartfilia spent her time by the Fireplace. With a warm, fleece blanket over her little shoulders and an open book under her nose, she barely noticed the biting chill in the mansion. The echoes that bounced down the walls sometimes made her scared, but all of that could be shoved away with the heat of the lit fire and the stories she quietly read.

Once upon a time, these were stories read by her Mother, but it had been a year since the kind woman had passed and Lucy's only comfort had vanished. During the day it was impossible to read, as Lucy was constantly being moved from one tutor to the next. Hour after hour she was taught and trained in all manner of things: etiquette, business, horseback riding, piano, geography, embroidery- so many things.

Not a single one for reading and writing. A lady didn't need to read fantastic tales or to write them, oh no! (She wasn't a lady, she was still a little girl of nine.) She didn't even get free time to play or go outside!

Letting out a sigh: Lucy sniffled, the cold getting to her nose despite the roaring flames in front of her. It almost made her hot, to be facing it in such a way, but the mansion rarely felt warm these days. Even without the snow falling outside, Lucy always felt cold. " - … Mother would have chased it away…" _with a warm hug I'll never get…_

A tight, embrace that held her close and kept her safe- closing her eyes, she could practically feel and smell Layla's perfume as if she were still there. It brought a knot into the little blonde's throat and another sniffle followed. The book set before her seemed lonely and forgotten, its pages being still for a few minutes as she fell prey to her own thoughts and memories.

The warmth was long gone from this place… even her father had lost his heat. Everything was just cold. As frozen as the icy wonderland outside the foyer windows.

" …. _Why are you crying_?"

Wet eyes blinked and Lucy froze in her place, allowing the book's pages to flip back to the beginning, effectively losing her place. Where had that voice come from? It sounded like a boy, young and curious- but there were no little boys who lived here. The closest neighbor to the estate wouldn't have sent their child to stay for the night either- so where…

Whipping her head back and forth, causing blonde tresses to slap across wet cheeks, Lucy let out a tiny shriek when the voice laughed, " _The other way, look over here!_ "

Where? Eyes wide, she realized with a strange clarity, that the voice- miraculously, was coming directly in front of her.

Right from the fireplace.

" _See me, now?_ " The voice asked, and for the longest of moments, little Lucy thought she was going to faint.

"T-the fire's talking to me!" She exclaimed! Shooting up faster than a rabbit, blanket slipping off her chilled shoulders. In her haste to back away, covered feet slipped on the hardwood and her attempt to stand was ruined by a sudden flop back to the floor with an echoing thud. "O-ow!"

Laughter followed once more, a tingling, almost nymph like laugh full of mischief and wonder, " _Don't go falling over everything, I'm not THE FIRE! Look closer!_ " Oh, yes, because any small, defenseless girl is going to listen to a voice coming out of fire. Absolutely.

Not.

" _W-wait, don't go-!_ " The voice called out, as Lucy struggled to stand and dash out of the room- the way the laughter switched to a near whimper, suffused in desperation, caused her to stop in her tracks, bottom lip trembling. " _Please? I'm sorry I scared ya', I just- I just wanted someone to talk to!_ "

The words rang in the little blonde's head like a mirror. The floor was cold, tingling through her fingers and toes and up her limbs, but that voice… the way he sounded. As scared as she was, it spoke of a familiarity she hadn't expected. Loneliness. She knew that feeling. It was what lead her down to the room from the beginning.

Silence followed. No more pleas for her to stay or laughter, just a soft sniffle that matched the random popping of firewood. Whatever spoke to her wasn't lying. Waiting with bated breath for her decision instead. If it had truly meant her harm, wouldn't it have found some way to force her to stay? Could talking fire even do that?

So many questions. The curiosity of a small child was strong, and it gripped Lucy's empathetic heart like iron. Blinking back her own, frightened tears, she up-righted herself. With brows furrowed, she tried to look deeper into the flames and blinked.

"You- you're really not the fire… are you?" Wonderment filled her as the realization finally came through. Through the fire, to the very depths of what should have been the brick of the house- she saw the strangest thing.

Another room.

It wavered in and out, similar to how heat waves danced over fire. For a few seconds, she wasn't sure it was there at all only for it to come back into focus. Wooden floors that looked slightly stained and old, and an even larger room, devoid of decorations or warm furniture could be seen. Crawling on hands and knees, eyes squinting from the heat of the flames, Little Lucy tried to get a better look, but the more she tried, the harder to see past the brick of her wall it became.

Except for the boy. For that was clearly who was speaking to her, now that she looked harder. Big, wide eyes, tinted green from firelight, darker in color where shades danced. She could hardly tell, but his hair was wild and looked pinkish. (From the heat, perhaps?) His face was rounded, similar to her own age and with soot covering his nose and cheeks.

" _Yeah, I'm real as can be!_ " He chirped, face widening into a huge, relieved grin. It made her chest hurt all over again. " _Are… are you real_?"

"Of course I am!" What? After all that, he wasn't even sure she existed? How rude! - but the relief he sported grew to another burst of laughter and he practically danced in his seat. She briefly realized that he was dressed in the thinnest of clothes, full of holes. Much different than her own.

" _Just makin' sure! I can't see you real well!_ " Still squinting to look at him, she noticed him doing much the same- nose scrunching up before a crackle of flames shot up between them. It really was difficult to talk to someone while crouching down at the entrance to a fireplace.

Then again, normal people didn't talk to others through them did they? "How do I know I'm not dreaming?" Lucy asked out loud, lifting a hand to pinch herself. "- ow! Th.. that really hurt!" Throbbing flesh on her right cheek made her eyes water all over again and she pouted.

" _You really ARE strange. Is that just a girl thing? Why would you go off and pinch yerself like that?_ " He talked funny, she decided. As if he didn't have enough time to say all he wanted so the words sometimes jumbled together in his haste to say them all. Her pout only grew and she crossed her arms, nose tilting into the air.

"If it didn't hurt then I'd know I was dreaming!" She explained, frowning. "I'm not strange. You're the strange one! You don't even have pajamas on!"

"…. _I don't have pajamas_."

Just like that, her frown deepened, joined with a glint of guilt as she blinked back towards the flames. "You… You don't? But why wouldn't your Moma or Papa get you some?"

Perhaps, she really was strange, to talk to a boy through a fireplace so openly, but it was mystifying and amazing all at the same time. She couldn't bring herself to see anything wrong with it, and she really wanted to know. The boy, seeming to think the same thing, crossed his legs and matched her frown, a sudden sadness seeping into his lit-up eyes.

" _I don't have those. I'm a- my brother calls it an orf… orphan, yeah We were just moved here to maybe get adopted, but I dunno…_ " He didn't sound as if he had any faith in this happening but Lucy's eyes were swimming with so many tears, she could hardly tell if he looked as sad as she felt or not. "-Hey it's okay! You don't have to cry! I mean, well, I can't stop ya', but it looks like you have parents, so be happy about that!"

"I have a Papa." She answered, sniffling despite herself. "- but he doesn't even hug me anymore."

"…. _do you want a hug_?"

It was such a sudden, surreal question, that it had little Lucy blinking: stunned. "-but, you're there- and I'm here- and why would I let a boy I just met hug me?!"

" _That's not what I asked!"_ He said, his own arms crossing over his body. " _You're a little strange, but I want to be your friend. Do you want a hug or not?_!"

Such a silly question. They couldn't hug each other through the fire, so why was he even asking? Her stubbornness made her silent, tapping her finger on the floor where she sat as a low, confused hum escaped her. She DID want a hug. A big, warm one, that was so tight she'd be squeezed, but there was no way she could get it.

" _Well?_ " He asked impatiently.

Lucy sniffed. "Yes. Happy?"

" _Okay_ \- " His tone shifted, sounded almost serious. As serious as a little boy could sound. He leaned closer to his side of the flames and pointed to her. " _Close your eyes for me, 'kay?_ "

She almost argued again, but with a sad nod, she slowly did as he asked- eyes slowly sliding shut so that only the sounds of the crackling wood, the cold wind from the windows, could be heard. Lucy waited in the darkness of her her closed lids, waiting for further instruction, but his voice never came. A shuffling sound from the other side echoed lightly, but her apprehension grew. Was he no longer there? Had this really all had been a dream?

Just when she was about to give up and snap her eyes open once more, a gust of heat flowed over her. It danced along her skin and the fleece of her pajamas making them warmer. A shiver ran down her spine, but a tiny, wistful smile covered her face. In a way, despite there being no arms around her- the heat almost felt like a hug. When another wave ran over her, Lucy opened her eyes.

The boy was still there, sweating, panting a little- but an old rusted fireplace bellows was under his hands, pushing firmly on the handle to cause gusts of heated air to hit the flames. It fanned the heat up the chimney, but sent a blast of it her way as well. " _Sorry, it's the best I can do_." He said after pushing onto the bellows once more, grunting from the force it took his small arms to handle.

" _Does that help?_ "

Lucy felt a new wave of tears, but they weren't from sadness. Pushing her forgotten book aside until it slid into the blanket she left behind, her arms encircled her small body in a small embrace- mimicking the warmth she desperately craved. Her house was cold. So very cold. And it had been for quite some time. "It does. Thank you."

Now, it was warm, and she had a mysterious little boy to thank for it. "… if we're going to be friends, can I know your name?"

Tired relief crossed his face and relaxed against the bellows, panting softly as another grin spread across his dusty face.

" _I'm Natsu, what's yours?_ "

Little Lucy felt she had no reason to deny him and answered through a wide smile of her own.

 _Is this what having a friend is like?_

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 **If you'd like to see these updates when they first come out, find me on tumblr at RougeScribe!**


	2. Imaginary

**Part 2 of 5! Please Enjoy!**

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They thought Lucy had made him up. The first night had been magical for her. Talking to Natsu through the flames, staying warm and getting to know one another. The small girl would have stayed up all night if not for the embers dying down to the point she, excitedly, thought they would be able to see each other with ease. Only to be met with disappointment.

Once the fire was a mere licking of flames, the room she could see disappeared, bricks reappearing piece by piece to separate them. Both children had stared in horror when this occurred, terrified the mystical night was over. That they had lost a friend the moment they had made one. The tears she had shed once she had gone to bed made her eyes puffy the next day.

Lucy chose to try again the following night, ecstatic to find that with the fire roaring, Natsu could be seen once more. The moment the clock struck twelve. It was hard to stay up so late for one as young as she, but they both managed it. Until one morning came to find the little blonde, fast asleep on the floor, fingers clinging to one of her special books she wasn't allowed to read.

"What were you doing down here, my lady?!" Miss Spetto, one of the maids, had asked her. Without any hint of guile, Lucy answered honestly.

"I was reading to Natsu." Beaming, she pointed to the fire place. "He likes to hear them- oh! Can you please not tell Papa?"

The maid huffed in amusement, stating that Lucy shouldn't read to her imaginary friends in the foyer. Especially on cold nights and sent her back to her room to change. No amount of arguing could convince the woman that her friend in the fireplace even existed. Weeks passed, and by the end of the month, all of the servants knew of the 'boy in the chimney' - laughing when Lucy corrected them, but never truly believing.

It was frustrating. Absolutely maddening, and Lucy wanted to prove them wrong!

The day she made her decision to find proof, little Lucy formulated a plan and almost had herself caught by her father in the process. "You should be focusing on your studies, NOT doodling!" He had practically snarled, merely walking into the foyer to glower at her tutor for a few minutes. The small man had stumbled frightfully over his own apologies, quickly grabbing whatever papers she had been using and quickly replaced them with blank ones.

"Now Lucy, you heard your father," The pudgy man began, eyeing the imposing figure of Jude Heartfilia with a gulp, "you need to focus on the notes before you and then we'll get you back to the keys!"

"- but I needed those…" She began, eyes widening in frustration as she watched all her hard work get wadded up into the nearest trash bin. A grunt from her Father had her settling right back into position, tiny hands picking up the music sheets as a small pout formed. "Yes, Father."

By the end of her lesson, Lucy made sure to leave last so no one could see her rifle through the small bin for her 'tossed out' doodles. They were crumpled and hard to view, but she cried in exultation upon their retrieval, rushing out of the room so she could continue with her plans.

Unfortunately-

" _You can't really think that's gonna work._ "

Natsu didn't seem on the same page.

"Sure it will!" She pouted, only realizing her voice was a little more shrill than needed during the night, covering her mouth to glance around nervously. It would do no good to be caught up so late! Though, with Natsu right across the flames, staring at her as if she had ink on her face, being caught would have proved his existence. "We just have to give it a try, please?"

Lucy wanted to prove he was real, but she didn't want to SHARE him with someone else. These quiet nights were HER time with him and she wasn't about to give someone else a reason to be up with her. Holding the paper out to reveal her plans, she still had to explain it to the boy, who could barely see it over the flashing of heated light.

He just had to give her something of his. That was all! She felt images would transfer over the flames better than words. With others seeing the lines as mere doodles, her plan had worked perfectly so far. Why couldn't he just agree to it?

" _How do ya' even expect me to get something over there? I mean, fire is great and all, but it would still burn us both if we reached through it!"_ Well, that was a good point and she hated the fact her was making one in the first place. The last month had been full of fun nights with both of them giggling and talking to one another, but the blonde girl was used to Natsu making the most absurd of notions rather than intelligent.

"Just listen, okay!" She spouted, fingers tapping on the floor in annoyance. "Of course I wouldn't want us to burn ourselves, dummy!" She ignored his squawk of offense and continued, "- but we can throw things over fire, can't we?"

A small whimper escaped Lucy, so intent on proving he existed. The importance to her was clear. She didn't want the servants to think she was making people up. Or worse, envisioning things that weren't there. For now, they would think it cute and adorable, but what about later? "I don't- I don't want the servants telling my Papa, he would think I'm sick!"

That was the true fear. Her father finding out and thinking something wrong with her. She had seen it before, when he visited with other families in high society. They would speak of their sons and daughters strange games and had heard the term 'imaginary friend' spring up during those conversations. His opinion was that a child needed a firmer hand and more focus on the real world if they were lost in daydreams.

Lucy refused to go through that and the way her lip quivered brought the desperation home to Natsu, whose brow furrowed just looking at her. " _You don't- Have to look at me like that to get what you want, y'know."_

"Huh-?" Look at him like what? She hadn't realized the sad, dark expression that had krept along her face. The way her lip protruded and eyes watered. Could he see the details of her face better than expected?

Apparently, he could, rubbing his nose while his gaze turned to the side, cheeks turning to match his hair. He seemed sheepish, almost: definitely embarrassed. " _I was gonna do it no matter what ya' said. So… don't look like you lost, okay?"_

Her smile to blossomed as if nothing had been bothering her to begin with and the boys tense shoulders relaxed. " _\- but, I don't really know what I can give you."_

Ah, but that would be a problem. Lucy blinked, trying to think of something. She knew he didn't have any books. That is why she chose to read to him nightly. (And throwing a book through a fire seemed like a bad idea.) And he didn't own many clothes either. In fact, she didn't think she saw him wear anything more than the same shirt each time they met. A lock of his hair? No, that could burn too- so what then?

"You don't.. Have anything?" She wondered aloud, worried her plan really was ending before it could begin.

" _Oh!"_ He exclaimed, sitting up straighter as his smile spread across his face, revealing teeth and tiny little fangs. She often wondered why his teeth seemed sharper than normal, but assumed it was a family thing. He swore his brother's did the same. Though she had yet to meet him to know for sure. " _\- give me a minute!"_

Before she could ask, he had darted off, bare feet echoing across the wooden floors of his orphanage. Seconds passed as the sounds of fire crackling filled the silence and Lucy tapped the floor, impatiently. Was he coming back, or did he get lost? He was certainly taking awhile. A low hum of annoyance vibrated from her throat when another minute passed and the ticking Grandfather Clock across the room began to buzz inside her head.

Footsteps thudded in a heavy staccato that made her heart leap into her throat. Was her father up? The servants? Fright shot through her veins and Lucy stumbled to her hands and knees, hair falling about her face as she looked for a place to hide. She couldn't be seen, not just yet, not until Natsu-

" _Oi, Lucy, I'm here!"_ The Footsteps paused and she choked on her own heart. It was him, just Natsu- a nervous laugh escaped and she slumped back to the floor. " _What were you doing, you weirdo?"_

"N-nothing!" She squeaked, finally turning her gave back towards the flames, face as warm as the fire. "I- I wasn't doing anything! What did you get?"

" _Catch!"_

There was no time to react, unable to process the command, she saw the glint of a small object being tossed through the flames, catching the light and reflecting it to the walls around her in a quick flash of rainbow before clattering to the floor. She squeaked, immediately rushing after the item to scoop into her hands, hoping it didn't break. Natsu's annoyed exclamation of ' _H-Hey! Careful with that!'_ Was barely heard through the foyer as the small bauble fit into the palm of her hand.

It was hard, with rough edges, peering into it, Lucy saw what looked to be a tiny crystal, the insides a myriad of different colors. "It's… so pretty…" She breathed.

" _It was my Mother's."_ The quiet answer came back like a ringing bell and it caused Lucy's head whiplash with the speed she turned to face him. A soft smile covered his features, eyes gleaming in the firelight. " _At least, that's what brother told me."_

"You- but…" She stammered, tongue flickering out to wet her lips as a strange, pain filled her chest. "You can't give me something like this, Natsu, it was your-" He said he didn't have a Mama or a Papa, but he was willingly giving her this? "No. Take it back. I can use something else-"

" _I don't HAVE anything else, Lucy."_ He said with a tone of finality. " _It's okay, cause you can keep it safe for me right?"_

Fingers closed over the small item and eyes blinked with unshed tears. He was giving her something so precious and smiling the entire time. Heat filled her as her lips quivered once more. All this just so she could prove he was real? How could even SHE doubt him? She couldn't. Not at all. Her head nodded and she swiftly slipped the crystal into the pocket of her night dress.

"I'll never let it break." She promised.

" _Can you do me one favor though?"_ Staring at him, the boy's fingers fiddled nervously together, " _Could you… give me something some time? You know, just so I have something too?"_

A strange fluttering happened in her chest then, as if her heart and lungs weren't quite her own. The small girl's cheeks heated up to a warm flush as her own, soft grin, matches his own over the fire. Gripping the bauble from within the fabric of her clothes, she nodded her head, eyes watering as a small tear ran down her cheek. It wasn't sadness. Not exactly.

She was touched. "I'll find something that's special and perfect, just for you!"

They shared smiles after that, clearing their throats and shuffling in embarrassment after the moment ended, but quickly reverted back to their usual antics. He laughed and made jokes to entertain her and when they both grew tired, she read from one of her many books until sleep almost over took them.

By the time the fire had dwindled and the wall reformed, both children had fallen asleep- the quiet ticking clock Lucy's only companion until the sun came up. When Miss Spetto came across Lucy that morning, the same chastisements followed, but little Lucy could hardly care.

Instead, she withdrew the crystal from her pajamas, smile full of pride and exclaimed, "Look! Natsu gave this to me! I told you, I told you, he's real!"

The look on the maid's face was a blank stare, completely baffled.

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 **Remember, if you'd like to see more information about updates, works in progress, among other things, feel free to follow me on tumblr at RougeScribe!**


	3. A Promise

Time went on. Winter turned to Spring, Spring began it's slow changes into Summer. Lucy's friendship with the boy in the fireplace continued and many a servant within the Mansion came to believe the Young Lady's friend was a ghost. The gem she had revealed the day he'd given it had baffled them for weeks before coming to this decision.

The sudden way they chose to explain the strange occurrences was upsetting for Lucy, aghast at how their smiles turned to humored confusion. Despite keeping it secret from her Father while believing it was a mere game created in her loneliness- even she could read the stares they gave her with ease. Worry, concern: fear.

Lucy knew they believed she was abnormal and the little blonde girl withdrew further into herself, opening up to her happier smiles only during the night as the fire glowed- even in the heat of summer.

"Won't they get mad?" Natsu asked her once, worried the extra heat would have her taken away from the fireplace, but she shook her head, fingers tapping on a newer book she had just begun to read to him.

"It rains so much." She explained, smile not reaching her eyes. "And it's only for a little while so they don't mind." Or dare to tell her otherwise, she thought. Time passed on and she grew a little older day by day- and Natsu soon appeared before her in cleaner clothes and happier complexion.

Well taken care of. The orphanage that had a foyer much like her own, seemed intent to make Natsu a proper little boy before long. His smiles never changed despite the time going by and he still managed to tear holes in his pants or get dirt upon them with each new garment. Horse play, he had called it- the other boys (and his brother) often teased him and small fights would break out. The tales he would tell her always sounded like he was surrounded by bullies, but the smile never faded.

"Nah, they're my friends- sorta." He explained. "Not like you. You're special! But we're all here tryin' to get new parents- and Miss Anna always patches us up after! You should see the Scarf she's been … err.. Sewing? I dunno what it's called, but she uses these big sticks and-"

"Knitting." Lucy answered for him, smile faltering just slightly. Other children had come to join him, all without parents, but somehow together all the same. It made the hollowness inside her own heart clench just slightly, a small seed of envy growing in the pit of her stomach. "She sounds like a wonderful lady. I wish I could meet her… "

She refused to water that seed, it wasn't Natsu's fault she was stuck, unable to see others. The closest to friends outside of him were the children who sometimes came along with their parents for visitation. Play dates, she had heard them all. All dressed in frills and taught the same as she, but none of them broke the mold of that life, none of them argued it.

They accepted and spoke as if she would one day be their wife. (As her Father only ever let her meet the young sons of these families, never the girls.) It made her wish, quietly, that she would never age.

"You know," Natsu continued, playing with a new tear in his shirt, "Miss Anna looks sorta like you. You even have the same last names! - but when I asked her about having family in a fireplace, she just looked at me funny."

"You dummy!" Lucy giggled, attention falling back on the other as she squinted through the flames at him, "Of course she look at you funny. No one has family in a fireplace!"

He pouted, arms crossed as he stubbornly stuck his tongue out, "If you're over there, then why not?"

Lucy had just been about to explain how it would be impossible (though, even she wasn't altogether certain her opinion was correct) when she finally registered what he had been saying earlier. "- Well, because, fireplaces aren't usually connected to other- … actually, now that I'm thinking of it, I used to have a great Aunt Anna, but I've never met her…."

"Really?" This sparked the boys interest, eyes lighting up eagerly, "Why?"

"I - " Lucy paused, eyebrows scrunched together in her attempt to remember. "No one really told me. She didn't pass away like Mama, I don't think, but… they always talk like she just disappeared."

This revelation only made Natsu more excited, "Then she really COULD be Miss Anna!"

"No, that's not possible!" Lucy's denial was obstinate, a strange, almost apprehensive feeling boiling into the pit of her stomach, but her friend didn't notice, excitedly waving his arms about. "Natsu, it's not- that was before I was even born, she'd be REALLY old if she was your Miss Anna!"

He froze, lips frowning as his eagerness died like an ember. "Oh, well, that's no fun… it would have been great if you were related."

"What makes you say that?"

Natsu shrugged, responding without a second to think, "'Cause it would mean there's a way for me to actually see you."

The little girl didn't have a reply. The former boiling inside her had changed to fluttering and her face warmed. Natsu as very good at making her feel butterflies, often blushing from the simplest of phrases. To her luck, the boy never noticed, thinking the redness on her cheeks was merely from the fire and nothing more.

This time was no different, but her fingers shyly rung together on her lap and she shyly glanced back through the small lashes of her eyes. His own cheeks seemed to darken in response, but the smile never faded.

He was just like that at times.

The closest it came to the next winter, it became more difficult to sneak out at night. Her responsibilities were growing- the times Lucy would awaken each day: earlier. Her Father and tutors were preparing her for something, but she couldn't glean a hint from a single person. Each night she would sneak out to the fire place, her time to stay grew shorter and Natsu began to notice, becoming increasingly more disappointed each time.

Lucy began to wonder if perhaps one of the servants had told her Father, and he was purposefully keeping her busy to ward off ill rumors. The thought made her feel sick, unwilling to even imagine a time when she couldn't visit him.

"You need more sleep." He told her one morning, watching the little blonde yawn over her breakfast, head nodding each time her eyes slid shut. Lucy's constant yawns caused a crease in his brow, eating calmly despite the tension in the air. "Should we look into sleep medication, again?"

The mere thought made the sleep leave her eyes instantly. A memory resurfacing of the time just after her Mother's funeral- screaming fits and inability to sleep, often ended in being made to drink a bitter substance that had her sleep for hours on end. She shook her head, "N-no, I'm fine Father, I'm not having trouble sleeping."

She still wasn't willing to try to explain Natsu's existence and a sudden comment from the butler had her staring wide eyed, silently begging he wouldn't give it away. The man in question, gulped and nodded his head, offering to refresh the morning tea instead. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, never noticing the observant stare Jude had given her.

Lucy clung to the crystal Natsu had given her that evening while she snuck from her room. Over the last year the small item had become a charm for her. She felt as if it gave her good luck and courage each time she kept it close and Natsu had smiled as if it were his own birthday the night she had told him these feelings. He liked the idea as much as she.

"Maybe it'll get so lucky that you won't have to keep going to bed early!" He stated, minutes after his visage had appeared within the flames that night. Lucy could only hope i would come true, biting back another yawn.

"If it does that, then I'll believe you're magical." She admitted, sleepily, eyes nearly fluttering shut as they had that morning. A loud clap from the other side startled her into waking and she blinked towards the boy- his expression worried.

"Lucy…" He murmured after a time, inching closer to the flames until she could hardly discern where he ended and the fire began. "You don't… you don't HAVE to come down here if it's gettin too hard. You need sleep-"

She knew he meant well, and adored him for it, but shook her head. "I'm fine! It would be so lonely if I didn't get to see you. You're my best friend!"

Natsu's chest puffed out a little, smile full and bright, "You're mine too- that's why I don't want ya wearing yourself out just for me. Not that I don't want ya here, I just…" Want you to be okay. He never finished his sentence, words trailing off while they stared at one another.

Their conversation that night seemed almost solemn, Lucy even forgot to bring a book to read. Her favorite one telling the most beautiful of Fairy Tales. She had wanted to share all of them and Natsu had grown to look forward to every new story she told. Not that night. Instead they spoke in hushed whispers while he urged her to sleep, 'Even if down here! I can watch you until the fire dies!'

Lucy continued to refuse. Times were changing and she could feel it, the little girl was being called a lady, her education becoming all the more complicated. She knew what that meant for girls in noble families. Though she silently hoped her fate would not be the same Or, at the very least, she could have just one more year before being considered an adult.

Just one more year, that's all she asked. Sighing, she realized, almost too late, that she had begun to nod off again and quickly moved to sit on her knees, scowling at Natsu. He grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "Sorry, but I didn't wanna try and wake ya again if you dozed off for good."

"You should wake me every time!" She huffed! Clenching the gem within her pocket once more. A small idea began to form into her head then, lips quirking at the plan. "Do you remember how I said I would find you the perfect gift?"

His smile lessened to a curious head tilt as he slowly nodded, "Of course I remember. Cause I gave you my Mother's crystal. You don't HAVE to give me somethin' though-not right now, at least."

The gears in her head were working over time through her sleepiness and with a lethargic, contemplative movement, she slowly reached for a small necklace chord that she kept around her neck. It was a long, rope necklace she couldn't wear during the day and it dangled down beneath her night dress, hidden from view on most nights.

A tiny, bronze key, weathered from age- she held it close to her chest even as it was removed from her neck. "I keep this hidden most days," She admitted quietly, fingers running across the small item, "- but it was my Mama's, too. She called it a skeleton key."

"What's that?" Natsu asked, eyes wide, "it sounds pretty interesting-"

"It's supposed to open any door." Lucy answered, staring at it fondly before taking in a deep breath. She stilled for a second, as it to prepare herself, before her small arms tossed it through the Flames. "Catch!"

She heard it tink on the floor and the boy gasp as he scrambled to grab it, cursing quietly as he went. "Shi- I mean, hold on, I'll get it, no wait, it's here-? Damni- no, I mean. Aww, Miss Anna is gonna be so mad if she knows I'm talkin' like that! Ah! Got it!"

Natsu sprung back in view, triumphantly holding up the small corded necklace, grinning widely at the small key. Lucy smiled in relief, giggling at his antics and pretending not to have heard his potty mouth. She would let it slide, and let Miss Anna deal with him if it continued. Her laughter came out like tiny bells, echoing off the wall and Natsu's own laughter joined hers.

A sudden loud slam of a hand on wood shocked them from the moment, Lucy's heart leapt into her throat , entire body alert to the noise. Turning around, brown eyes widened as she looked upon the entry way, eyes meeting the harsh, angry, gaze of her father. Jude stood in his own sleep clothes, a lit candle in one hand: eye twitching as his hand slowly slid from the wall.

"Lucy!" He barked, glancing about the room, "Is this what you've been doing all this time? You're too tired to learn because you're laughing at the walls?!" Shriveling back, the tiny girl felt all her happy feelings escape her body, limbs feeling heavy like stone. Jude stomped his way through the room, eyes narrowed and a terrified gasp escaped her-

"I-I'm sorry!" She cried, legs wobbling as she tried to move to her feet. "I Just- I- " Natsu! Yes- fingers pointing towards the fire, she tried to explain herself. "Father, you wouldn't believe it if I told you during the day, but I have a friend, right there! That's why I'm up- !"

The sudden strong hand that gripped her arm made a surprised whimper escape, pulling yanked towards her feet as the much taller man hissed at her to shut her mouth. His eyes glanced once towards the fire, but flickered back towards her not a second later, cold fury bunched in in his tightened jaw. "Enough! Your Mother filled your head with inane stories when she was alive, but you should be over this by now! No more talking of boys in fire places!"

It was like a bucket of ice had been dumped down her spine. He knew. He knew after all. Someone had told him, but when? Who? Hot tears stung at Lucy's cheeks as she tried, once again, to make him notice the fire. Why couldn't she hear Natsu? Why wasn't he saying anything?

"- It's not talk, he's really there- !" Eyes casting upon the fireplace while feet slammed to the floor, trying to hold her place even as Jude began to pull her form the room- little Lucy met the surprised, stunned eyes of Natsu, through the flames. Hope surged within her, "He's here! Just- look! Please! He's right there!"

"Lucy-?!" Natsu questioned, voice strangely matching the hissing of the flames, face paler than she had ever seen it before. "Lucy! I'm here, can you hear me?! Let Lucy go, you're hurting her!"

His voice, rising over the roar of flames, did not meet Jude's ears. His grip tightened as Lucy's body was forced into the hall and a servant called to dispel the flames. Worried shrieks escaped her mouth as she reached for the door frame, desperate to stay in place. To prove her point. Could he not see Natsu?

"Let her go, let HER GO!" The boy was hissing, hand reaching out as if to reach for her, but reflexively yanking back as the fire licked at his fingers. "I'm going to save you, Lucy! I will!"

Save her? It was all a blur, she couldn't understand, but the tears stained her cheeks and she nodded, body going limp as Jude finally wrestled her into his larger arms, carrying her up the stairs.

"I will NOT have a daughter speaking to walls and fires! This is the last straw Lucy!" He admonished, trudging up the stairs while his daughter's eyes watched the flickering embers be dispersed- Natsu's voice echoing even as the wall slowly reappeared.

"Finishing School. As soon as possible. No more late nights for you!"

To Lucy's horror: he meant it.

"LUCY!"

* * *

 **Stay Tuned For Chapter 4: The Sealed Wall!**


	4. The Sealed Wall

The Holidays came and went with Lucy unable to see Natsu. Waking that first morning was the start of the blonde's hardest months - witnessing house Maid's packing away her things. 'For School.' They told her. The revelation made her heart freeze like the ice on the Manor windows. Lucy's father had said Finishing School and his words rang true, already preparing to send her off as soon as possible.

Her nights were lonely. Hoping she could see Natsu, to explain what was about to happen- but finding a servant at her door or even the knob locked tight when she tried. The first nights held panic inside her heart. Would Natsu worry? Did he think she was ignoring him? For the first week, Lucy pounded on the doors each night, sobbing quietly for someone to let her out. "Please, Natsu will worry! Can't I tell him goodbye?"

Lucy's pleas went unanswered.

Winter parties came and went. As her Father hosted a gathering for bringing in the New Year, little Lucy only made one, small appearance. Dressed in golden frills and soft blues. She had been paraded about, greeting her Father's business associates, before being sent right back to bed. The coming months would be a busy time for her, he told his many guests. Finally going to a school for girls and ready to become a Lady. No one noticed the way her eyes grew empty with each passing word.

When ushered back to her room, she spared a glance to the fireplace- eyes stinging from unshed tears. There was no wood placed inside it, unable to light and the bricks in the back looked cold. Lonely. Her sobs put Lucy to sleep that night, with only the maid assisting her to keep her company, soothingly patting her back until she had settled.

As good as his word, the beginning of January was the start of Lucy's new life. Packed away into a carriage with a small amount of belongings, she was sent away. Magnolia Hall was a fine establishment. A place for young girls turning to women, all learning to be successful women of society. Most of the lessons they taught, Lucy had already learned the basics to. - but her excitement for each day was a false one.

Little Lucy didn't have another chance to see home, or Natsu, until the following spring and by then, she feared it might be too late. Coming home to visit for a short period (to Celebrate her birthday.) filled her with hope and dread that mixed together in the pit of her stomach, but she refused to look into the foyer. Not when the servants and her father were watching. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"I trust you've been getting along well with the other girls?" Jude had asked the moment she stepped through the main doors. A smile that didn't reach her eyes pulled across Lucy's face and she hugged him right down the middle.

"They're all very nice to me." Was the answer. Not quite a lie, but not completely the truth either. Her own room for being a member of the Heartfilia Family had left many a jealous girl. Most turned their backs on her or challenged her to prove her knowledge in class.

It wasn't a trouble she would mention. She could handle it. That was the way life was, even if it chipped away at the childish ideals she had held her entire life. _Where is Mama to comfort me now?_

Lucy pretended to have zero focus on the fireplace. She stayed in her room to rest before dinner, visited with her Father during his time away from his office, and even managed to to hold back asking to help the cook do the dishes. (She had tried once, but was told little girl's of her station were not supposed to help the household staff. Lucy never did understand why.)

The Spring visit felt short, but she kept her patience, held it in until the very last night. Lucy took her chances and went to the Foyer when everyone slept. It had been her plan from the beginning, and she feared her rushed footsteps would give her away, but luck was on her side. Making it from her unlocked room and down the stairs, her eyes beheld the one place she had yearned to see for months.

There was no fire. The brick wall remained- her heart sank to the depths of her feet and a choked sob escaped her. "Natsu.. Are we not connected anymore?" The quiet question that floated in the air like a gentle sigh. She approached with staggering steps, as if each movement stole a little strength from her each time. Sinking to the floor, her knees stung from the impact, but her eyes never left the backs of the unlit chimney.

"Open." She pleaded, fingers lifting to run along the sides. "Please. I want, I want to see Natsu!"

Why wouldn't it budge? Did it need a lit flame? Firewood? Eyes glanced back towards the clock. Five past midnight. Where was he? Could she make a flame without notice?

' _Lucy… '_ Eyes shot open as she held her breath, freezing in place in an attempt to strain her ears. Was that his voice, she heard? ' _Lucy? Can you hear me?'_

"N-natsu?" Hesitation filled her. Lucy whirled her head, glancing about her and back into the fireplace. Leaning in to glance up, peering into the darkened shaft, she scrunched her nose from the bitter scent and leaned away. Burnt and old. Not warm and inviting- "Didn't I hear him-"

' _Lucy!'_ All the breath in her lungs escaped in that moment and she gave a loud cry. That WAS him!

"Natsu! Natsu, I'm right here! I can hear you!" Was she being too loud? Her voice came out in a fluffy, wincing slightly at her own worries while fingers scraped along the floor in her attempt to pound against the scorched brick. "I thought I'd never see you again, but I'm here, I came back!"

Her relief felt like chocolate. The way it elated her body and made her relax all at once. A flicker of a true smile finally tried to appear on the depths of her face. "I'm so sorry it took me so long. I've been away from home, you see-"

' _Ah-'_ Natsu's voice interrupted, sounding defeated, rough, echoing from the walls within, yet inside her mind like thumping drums. ' _I don't get it._ _ **My fire**_ _is lit, but the wall's still here. I really miss you, Lucy.'_

"I missed you too," She rushed out, a laugh bubbling up from the pit of her stomach. "Oh I missed you so much! Listen, I have to tell you where I've been-"

' _Please come back, Lucy…'_

The laugh cut off and the sprouting happiness crushed itself beneath a hard, leather boot. He wasn't listening to her. "Natsu? You can't hear me… can you?"

' _I know it's probably not your fault.'_ His voice continued, sounding off with a defeated sigh. ' _Your dad took you away, didn't he? I said I'd come save you, but I… I don't know how. I'm sorry. Does that make me a bad friend?'_

Lucy choked, voice wavering, "No. No- I'm.. I'm the bad friend. I left you. Oh Natsu, you're the best friend I ever had, please hear me!"

He didn't. The seconds ticked on by and the voice faded. Lucy feared it would be the last she ever heard it. Sniffling, her fingers pressed against the brick, knees, now dirtied by old remnants of coal and ash, pressed hard into the grating and her body quivered in every attempt she made to get the Pink-Haired boy's attention. It had always seemed to strange to her, but now, Lucy desperately craved to see it again.

"I'm sorry." She sobbed, forehead pressing against the cold brick, body shivering at the drop in temperature. "I'm so sorry."

' _Miss Anna doesn't think I'll be able to see you for a long time.'_ The voice of Natsu rang out, right by her ear. And the empty tone that rang through her bones made Lucy's sobs all the greater. ' _I really wanted to stay being your friend. I wanted t'find a way through and meet you. I wanted… I wanted us to be together forever. Listenin' to ya read stories to me, and laugh. It was fun, you know?'_

The little girl couldn't bring herself to plead any further. Voice cracking from the sobs, throat burning as she whimpered, nodding despite knowing he would never see it.

' _I'm keeping your key with me all the time. I don't care if I never see ya again- '_ he paused and Lucy held her breath, cheeks swollen by the sliding of her tears. ' _No, no I do care. I'll_ _ **ALWAYS**_ _care.'_

In that moment, his voice cracked too, and with a horrifying clarification, she realized the heartbreaking truth. He was crying too. ' _Whatever it takes or how long I have to wait. You're like a Princess t'me and you know what?'_

' _I'm_ _ **GOING**_ _to see you again!'_

His voice faded.

Lucy's exhaustion that night was in part to staying up far too late, sobbing into the fireplace, and many other parts emotional. When woken that morning, bags packed once again- her eyes were puffy and red, nose stuffed and face swollen. The vibrancy of life that once exuded from her every step was dimmed and the smile in her eyes was as dark as the chimney shaft.

Her Father didn't notice. He waved goodbye with a pipe in hand and sent her off with his back turned as he retreated back into the manor. Magnolia Hall became her home once again. It's warmth a cheap substitute and it's halls empty each time she left to visit home once more. Time passed and the Fireplace stayed quiet- even when lit. Her brief attempts to hear her friend once more slowly disappeared until her eyes never glanced towards it.

Winters came and went. The little girl learned to be a Lady just as all little girl's should. Her smile returned, but the light was never as bright as before. Coming of age was hard and easy. Just follow the rules, nod when prompted, curtsey on time and speak fluently with soft tones.

A perfect little Lady that returned home. Dressed in layered skirts and accented by a tiny crystal hanging on a silver chain. ' _I think I found it in a dream…_ ' She told many with a teasing smile.

Half of her believed it and everyone who came to call swore she was the most fetching thing they ever did see. Heartfilia Manor became full of gifts from suitors and offers of engagement. All denied. Turned away. Not by Little Lucy, no, but from Jude.

"We won't agree to just ANY man who comes to call, will we?" He told her over the dinner table, Pipe smoke filling the air and suffocating her. She nodded her head, but no reply came. "Exactly. I'll find you a proper Man in time, perhaps at the annual Holiday Party. You're old enough to attend for more than an hour now, aren't you?"

"Yes," She finally answered, poking delicately at her food. "I always wanted to stay longer. I'm sure it will be a delight."

Days came and went and Lucy Heartfilia played her part well. The first party she would ever join as a full-grown adult finally arrived and she was sure, like every other day, it would be the same. Dressed in white, silk, feather wings attached to her back- her skirt bustle delicately trailed her dress along with every step she gave into the main hall, a tiny mask upon her face. Her smile was the same as it had been for years and she greeted everyone with demure grace.

Lady Lucy's first ever party for adults was a night she wished the snow outside would swallow her up. That the years would disappear and she'd be a little girl once more, paraded back to her room. It was hard to breathe, but she fought through it. Danced with those who asked, but only once, never more- and felt herself go dizzy with the many hands she was passed off to.

One after the other after the other after the other until-

Her gaze met dark eyes, wild pink hair, and a once dead ember slowly flickered in her hollow eyes.

* * *

 **Final Chapter - Part 5: When The Clock Strikes Twelve- coming this Christmas!  
** Follow me at Rougescribe on tumblr for sneak peak previews and other updates!


	5. When The Clock Struck Twelve

Everything about him was familiar in a way Lucy could not explain. As if he were a specter that had come straight from her dreams. Her hand fit in his as if it had always belonged -and she noticed, subconsciously, the rough calloused skin and warmth that spread through her at contact- while his arm slid around her waist as they moved across the hall in a dance as if they they had practiced many times before. He wore a mask and gave her no name, but the fanged smirk and onyx eyes captivated Lucy like long-forgotten memories. .

She knew him, but her mind was not willing to accept the implications of how. The heat that spread from his worn, leather jerkin, seeped into the silk layers of her dress and the bone of her corset. It eased a constriction on her chest and heart that was more than just the binding of fashion. Like the bellows in a fireplace, it brought comfort.

The world fell away in the instant their hands had met. His bow had been stiff, almost mocking - not towards her, no, never towards her: she could sense it.- and the grin he gave as a voice, suffused in mischief and nature, asked for a turn around the floor. How could Lucy refuse him when so many others hand danced her feet away?

Lucy didn't even feel the aches of her shoes, not anymore. "I am Lucy Heartfilia." She said quietly during a small spin.

"I know who you are, _princess_." The voice came out within the next beat, his legs never following the proper steps, but somehow more graceful than anything she had ever seen. " - but do you know me?"

She felt jarred, uncertain, but everything in the way he moved, spoke, told her that yes, she did know him. _But why do I know? Who is he?_ The confusion was apparent on her face, studying bronze of his cheeks and the wisps of unkempt hair that fell upon his eyes. A memory of a flickering fire seemed to flash before her, in the depths of his onyx hues- flickering flames and a smiling, toothy grin, asking her not to cry.

"If you do know me," she challenged, eyes misting with a sudden emotion she couldn't name, fingers tightening their hold against his as they spun together, ignoring the whispers of those around them, "Then you know I am no such thing."

She was Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia. A noble family of high esteem, but that was all. Snorting, the man who she felt should have been a boy, pulled her closer - against all propriety- and allowed heated breath to dance across her ears.

"You're not their princess, _but you've always been mine_ , Lucy."

It was like having a heavy book slam into the back of her head. Scenes of a time long gone came to the surface of Lucy's mind. Moving photos of the fireplace and a chilled room slowly heated by a dwindling fire. Her old fairy tales littered the floor as she read and a boy from across the flames reacted at all the right moments.

A tear slipped down her cheek and Lucy's feet stumbled in the dance. Hopefully no one noticed. "You- I thought…!" A dream. A long, wonderful dream that had been ripped away from her. She had convinced herself long ago that her pain was merely caused by a childhood fancy, nothing real, nothing tangible. Yet here he was and the last words she remembered coming from his mouth rang inside her mind like a clock tower chiming.

' _You're like a Princess t'me -'_

The name she hadn't said in years passed through her lips in a sigh, "Natsu… you're really here?" Weakened legs had caused their proximity to dwindle further, strong arms supporting her while Lucy's face was quickly hidden against his shoulder. A shudder trembled through him at the sound of his name and she knew she had hit the mark. "- N-no… Natsu wasn't, you can't be… how?"

So many questions. Too many questions. Sorrow and hope tangled together inside her chest and Lucy no longer cared how they may look to the rest of the room. Hands settled on onto his shoulders, creating just enough space for her to look back into his gaze, mouth running dry as the answered she demanded fell from her lips in a tidal wave.

"Shh, shh- " One finger placed across her lips and her words fell silent. His own gaze, staring into her own, quickly swept around the ground, assessing the area while lips quirked into the smile Lucy had always known. "It's me Lucy. I found you."

"You can't prove that-" She didn't have to finish- words dying in her throat as he loosened the opening of his doublet to reveal a gleaming key, resting against his skin, tied by a single thread: a skeleton key. "That's my-!"

"You still have my crystal, don't you?" Curl of the tongue and he reached for the chain around her neck, fingers dancing along the side of it, never quite touching. "You can't think I wouldn't see it, did ya'?"

Her mouth opened and closed, trying to think of a proper reply, but the only sounds heard between them was Natsu's own chuckles. A little lower, huskier even, but still reminiscent of the tones she used to hear so many years ago. Lucy couldn't come up with any answers, but as impossible as it seemed, she had to accept the truth. Natsu was there. Right before her, and his gaze was scintillating.

Unfortunately, the real world was still moving along and they were making quite the sight in the middle of the room. Not only too close to be proper for a woman's first party, but far too familiar at that. _Had that man brushed his hand along her neck? The scandal that could cause…_ so many whispers and they reached Lucy's ears in a slow rhythm forcing her cheeks to turn a flustered, shameful red.

Proper Lady's did not dance so long with one man. Nor did they allow such physical, familiar touches. That was saved for their future husbands. _If this continues… my reputation will be ruined before it can even begin…_.

Her thoughts screamed. Lucy's mind and body knew this. Agreed with it. Knew her actions would cause whispers, questions: anger. Eyes darted across the room, stunned to not find her father nearby, but rather than step away from Natsu, her hand only sought to grab his. _Stability. Comfort. Safety._

Fingers enclosed with his and without commentary, warm digits entwined with hers, the heat spreading through her skin once more. How his touch managed to calm her instantly was a miracle to the blonde, but the small moment erupted when one of her previous dance partners cleared his throat, stepping towards them. Lucy remembered the man- his leading was forced, he barely looked towards her, but chose to keep his gaze lowered towards her bust, and half the forming blisters upon her feet were caused by his inability to wait.

"Lady Heartfilia," He said, offering a gloved hand towards them with narrowed brows. It was clear his thoughts were of the joined hands she and Natsu shared: no gloves between them. No space. "It has been awhile since this gentleman asked you to dance, perhaps you should rest? I could lead you to the refreshments."

Lucy knew what he was doing. A perfect guise of fake kindness offered to reveal his wondrous standing to be a candidate for husbandry down the road. Lead her? As she had been lead to this point her entire life. Fingers tightened their hold and indecision burned inside. What was the correct option? Take a possible suitors hand to save face or-

"Pardon my thinking," Natsu interjected, voice low, darker than she remembered as it brushed along behind her and filled the air like smoke. A strange sensation, "I can't help, but feel your offer is for more selfish desires than to help her. If not, wouldn't you have ASKED if she was tired, before deciding for her?"

An unknown tension that flowed through her every limb (and had for years) snapped. Lucy felt release and thoughts click into place that had never been allowed to connect before. He was right. Decisions had been made for her since she was a child. Everything was laid out into a direct path that she had been forced to walk upon. This man was no different. Every action he took, a perfect facade of propriety while her own masked his in mere imitation

Never happy, never truly Lucy.

""Mr. Gosswick." Her voice rang out in a simple, terse tone. No traces of her original, demure nature were present and the man in question froze in place, blinking at her as if he'd never truly seen her before. "I think I am more than capable of getting rest when and if I need it, but thank you for your _timely_ concern."

A nod of her head and before the gentleman could speak further, she faced the wall of heat behind her, lips slowly curving into a tiny smile. "Would you be so kind as to escort me to the veranda? I could use some fresh air before I…. _tire._ "

Something in the way she spoke lit Natsu's eyes much like a bonfire and his own smile matched hers, sweeping into an exaggerated bow while he held his arm out. "Of course, M'Lady, you need only ask."

Without a thought as to 'why not,' Lucy's arm slipped into his and they both walked through the doors, ignoring the way the night are struck across their faces. She thought she heard Gosswick shout after her as others gasped in the crowd, but gave them no attention. Word would pass on to her Father, but she wasn't allowed fear of rejection change her decision.

Like a breath of fresh air, little Lucy, now an adult, felt as if she had finally come above water and knew exactly what direction she wanted to go. "I think I've been playing to their fiddles for so long, that I forgot how to play my own."

A glance towards the miracle she once knew behind a wall of flames made her wonder if he understood what she meant, but his gaze held her fast. Frost was in the air and puffs of breath escaped every time he breathed, but a heat she had only felt while near flames engulfed her. The cold did not touch her. Many things began to click into place. His odd grace, the gleam in his eye- the wall between them and his miraculous appearance now.

"You always looked alive when you could be yourself." And the way his grin revealed rows of teeth far sharper than they should be. Alarm bells ran inside her head, but Lucy did not move, eyes widening as her body stiffened. She felt she should recognize these signs, but the part of her mind that screamed common logic, refused to admit the truth.

"Are you -" The question never finished, silenced by a finger placed upon her lips. Natsu understood her train of thought, eyes narrowing while his grin grew ever sharper.

"You want answers, I know." He breathed, arm lowering from hers to wrap around her waist again, pulling her into another dance across the wooden patio and ignoring the beat of music inside the walls. "I promise you will get them, but first, I have to ask you a favor." As natural as breathing, she fell into step with him, enraptured and unsure, but the light in his gaze was far too familiar to distrust.

"You've found a way to be here." She answered, voice a mere whisper. "It's the best gift I could ever wish for. Ask me anything."

Their voices fell silent. She, waiting for him to finish while he spun her about towards the corners of the deck. Pulling them into the shadows until his back was to the railing and the rest of the world dropped away. A hand raised to brush along her cheek, soft and slow while he appraised her face, noses leaning in to brush each other as breaths mingled.

"I didn't know." He began, voice suddenly a wavered version of one she heard years ago, through a wall as it choked through a promise to see her once more. "-What I'd do when I saw ya' again. I didn't know how I'd handle it." Another brushing of their noses and the warmth of his eyes were hidden away as Natsu shut them, breathing in deeply. "Treat you as we once were? Or would there be… more?"

The way he spoke made her stomach twist into knots, chest squeeze tight and cheeks flush. If one of the many party guests chose to leave just then, the sight of them would be an even greater scandal than the way they had danced among the crowd. Lucy was enchanted, fingers moving to mimic his own, framing the sides of his face. "What- what was your answer?"

Natsu gave her no words, not audibly. The sounds of laughter, chatter, dancing and more, disappeared as warm, heated lips brushed against her own, a soft flutter before an impatient escape of breath left him. A new angle and he held her against him, as if he could transfer every thought and feeling he held within him through her. It was dizzying. Fingers clung against his jerkin, a small whimper escaped as inexperienced tongues and teeth clashed for but a moment and every, lucid thought within her head scattered about like a fallen deck of cards.

It ended as quickly as it had begun, but the after effects clung to them. Natsu pulled his head back, nuzzled his nose behind her ear and sighed while her trembling form leaned against him, panting for air that had been stolen away.

Heavy footsteps fell from the inner halls, taking her attention- she knew those steps, hearing them for most of her life. Before she could prepare herself to part from him, Natsu's grip tightened, a hoarse, low growl dancing in her ear. "- meet me by the fireplace. Before Midnight."

"Wait, Natsu-" Would the party be over by then? Could she do it? A hot kiss fell against her ear and she shuddered.

"Don't worry." He whispered. "If you go, I'll make sure you get there."

Confusion fell as a flurry of movement came next. His presence, the heat, dissipated from her as if he'd never been beside her. The pressure of lips on her own still tingled as the night air bit against her face and Lucy wondered if she, perhaps, hallucinated the whole thing. Natsu had flipped over the railing, but she heard no sounds of a saw no sign of his departure. There was just… air?

"Lucy!" The doors swung open and she whirled about to meet Jude, who looked none too happy to find her, eyes darting across the veranda for her 'partner.' Lucy easily feigned ignorance, claiming to have been alone the entire time. What rumors of a man joining her? Nonsense. She merely had been escorted and asked to have some time for herself. The lies fell from her lips far too easily. It rose a sense of guilt in her stomach, but her persisted.

Followed her Father back into the party, where the chill of the air could not longer bite against her apple red cheeks, the daughter of Heartfilia fell back into a rhythm she could not choose. The feel of Natsu's lips against hers served as a reminder or something to look to. If she had to fake until then: so be it.

She refused drinks, unless they were water. (Claiming that a woman of her constitution couldn't possibly handle a glass of wine. Many believed her.) A few more dances came and went; Mr. Gosswick had another dance with her, keeping them both at a respectable distance as he lead her about. Many believed the two looked wonderful together.

 _Perhaps they will dance together for Spring parties, as well?_ They wondered. Lucy thought she heard a few whisper, claiming them to be a perfect match. It was near impossible to hide the disgust that tried to reflect upon her scrunched nose and furrowed brow. She waved it off as an ache in her heels and was quickly given a chair to to rest on.

Every chance gained, Lucy looked to the clock. The closer it came to midnight, the more her apprehension grew. As guests finally began to depart, it was her role to see them out, but how could she make it on time? The answer came in a way she did not expect. Standing to join a couple as they gathered their things to leave, a strange shudder of heat washed through the air between them. The Sir and Lady walked by Lucy without a second glance.

Minutes later, it happened again. As if no one truly realized she was there. Again and again until she began to wonder if some sort of magic was afoot. She had grown up to believe magic couldn't possibly be real, despite all evidence to the contrary- made to see it as a dream. There were no more dreams to cover the truth.

Another wave of heat that circled about like a caress and soon, the many revelers of the Heartfilia Annual Christmas Party, had made it out the doors, still chatting on the porch. She was left alone. Just her, an open foyer-

And a fireplace she refused to look at for many, many years.

The old, Grandfather clock ticked, taking her attention- ten minutes before midnight. Was she too early? Or too late? Or perhaps, this is what Natsu meant by making sure she would get there. She had begun to believe there was more to him than her childhood memories could tell: now, Lucy felt she had struck an epiphany.

Natsu, or some part of him, wasn't human. "You chose to stay? That's a relief!" The sudden appearance of his voice made Lucy stiffen, eyes alert and checking around the room, she could not see him. His laugh, no longer low, but loud, echoed from the walls like heated crystals. " _The other way, look over here!"_

The playfulness in his tone felt as warm as the burning fire and Lucy realized with surreal clarity- that his voice was coming beyond it. Turning towards the flames, the confusion of the night flooded over as she noticed the open wall- no brick, but a view to the other side, much larger than she could remember. The mantle could no longer be seen, falling through to the other side.

There stood Natsu, but not. A tall, broad shouldered man with dark eyes, singed in green, smiled back at her through the flames. Sharp teeth glimmered as he laughed and a face, tanned from sunlight, glowed in a light from within rather than out. What stood before her, was both the boy and man she had come to know, and something else entirely. Tilting his head, he tweaked his ears, oddly pointy and elongated, mischief dancing on the tongue of his chuckles.

"What… what ARE you?" She questioned, stepping forward, shock, a tinge of fear, slipping through her voice. Natsu's laughter died in an instant, eyes flashing as a familiar concern took them over. "How are you back there? How is- how is this possible?!"

"- Hey, please, don't be scared!" His words came out quieter, soothing, a light panic filling him as he reached out, over the flames, not even wincing. "I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you. It was against the rules, but today was the day. It was luck you happened to be here for it."

"Luck-?" Her voice drifted. Unreal. Impossible, yet somehow, completely, irrevocably true. "What rules? Natsu, I don't understand-" Another step forward and she was feet away from the flames, frozen in place. Would it be the same now? Could they no longer touch?

His own steps answered. "The three Hundred and Fifty-Seventh Day of the Seventieth Year- the walls fall down. That's what Miss Anna said." Passing through the flames, clothes as fine as day- cleaner than they appeared hours before. " - but they come right back up at the end."

He meant… "Midnight." She supplied. He nodded.

They would be separated again when the clock struck twelve. A different wave of apprehension filled her veins, body shaking in reflex. "- that would mean we couldn't…" Lucy's voice cracked and she froze, stunned by her own disappointment. Natsu stepped closer, hands reaching out as if to draw her into his embrace once more, but paused before contact.

"It's all right." He soothed, eyes gleaming while he reached inside the pocket of his breeches. "I didn't come for us to never see each other again. _I came here for you._ "

He extended his hand, revealing a small twig of wild-berries, fresh and clean- shining in it's own strange light. Lucy eyed the berries between them, searching for the answers she so desperately wanted while Natsu's expression slowly melted, forlorn. "I wanted us t'be friends forever when we were children. - but it's more now. **I want to take you away**. Keep you happy and alive and free of these chains you've been tied to for so long."

Reaching out to touch the berries, Lucy was stunned when he jerked back, keeping them just out of reach, hissing as he did. "Think carefully, Lucy. No matter how much I want to keep you with me, the rules say I can't do as I want. I have to wait. For you to decide."

"For me to decide what, exactly?" She questioned, looking between him and the fire place. Her eyes narrowed curiously, almost certain she had seen other figures just beyond the flames. She couldn't be sure. "Tell me plainly, Natsu."

"You have to want me to take you." He finished. Extending the small twig once more. "You have to choose me. **Choose us**."

A hint of a memory, from many old stories, passed through Lucy's mind. Whispers and warnings of eating food gifted to others. Fingers moved to grasp the berries from his hand once more, lip quivering. He would take her away, from all of this?

"I could never come back, could I?" She asked, eyes searching his own for an honest answer. He couldn't lie, could he? Natsu's gaze met her own- fear and apprehension gleaming within warm irises. Nervous, but his silence spoke volumes. "Will I be happy?"

A slow smile spread then, filled with the heat he carried as he stared upon her like his very own treasure. "For as long as I breath."

Everything fell into place. The empty, hollow Lucy that existed, merely following protocol day after day, faded away as soft fingers accepted the small branch. Plucked the tiny berries from their stems, and popped one into her mouth. Delicious, sweet flavor danced across her tongue and Natsu's gaze turned to awe as he stepped forward, sweeping her into his arms, laughing in relieved mirth.

Another berry, and his lips found hers- passing sweetness and glee from one to the other as warm fingers slipped through tresses of golden hair, releasing hair pins to the floor and letting it tumble free across Lucy's shoulders. Flushed and gasping for breath, she pulled him closer. Her best friend. Her love- and through each dizzying kiss, felt him lead her towards the fire.

One step- and her mind distantly realized the chimes of midnight were sounding off, like faint echoes.

Two steps. The kiss broke, fingers grasped her own and Natsu lead her through the flames.

Three steps. Lucy thought she heard someone rush into the room- though she heard her name called, but she stepped forward, into the heat, the light- and the fading chimes of the Grandfather Clock, dispersed into the air like birds.

A fourth step and Lucy Heartfilia faded from the world and an open, fireplace wall, filled with bricks, sturdy and cold. All traces of heat, of two figures locked into passions embrace, gone- all except two items hanging from the mantle place.

As Jude watched his daughter disappear into a flash of light, his eyes widened when he came across the necklaces that hung there as parting gift: A small crystal.

Entwined with a skeleton key.

' _Come along, little sprites, and I'll tell you a tale. Humans merely believe the Vale to be Myths or fantasies. A thing to be imagined. We know better, don't we? Our world is real and has always been connected to theirs. Connected through the veil._

 _The tale I tell you is of a fireplace, just like the one you see here. It is a very special place: an entrance from here to there. Once Upon a time there was a family of gold who lived alongside us. Through the fire we watched and they were unaware of us. We watched them in fascination for their children were beautiful and pure of heart. Many of us loved them._

 _Eventually, humans die and this saddened our kind. Attempting to save them from their own mortality, we began to take these children through the veil. To keep them safe. The consequences of those actions were not considered. Loving their children so dear to their hearts, the Family fell to despair. The light that once attracted us grew dim and their bloodline dwindled through the generations._

 _One day, the King of us All caught wind of their plight, feeling the loss of their heart- and he swore to mend what was broken. He tried to return the children, but many had been gone so long, they could not remember the family they once had. Or their parents had aged and passed away. Some refused to return to such a sad life._

 _Saddened by this revelation, the King chose to bless the family instead. With good luck and riches, they were given the ability to move on from their grief, to begin anew. The Golden Family began to grow again, but we were punished for what had been done._

 _The King cast a spell upon the fireplace, so that no Sprite could pass without passing specific conditions. Every seventy years, the spell lifts for a day, allowing us in- but we could only watch until that day. If we ever found a child that we wished to save, we could not keep them unless the Seventieth year was upon us, but only if the child chose to come through- accepting a single branch of wild-berries from our very hands._

 _Time came and went, and many of us lost interest in the Golden family. Not all, some of us still watch. Some of us still wait, hoping to catch a glimpse of that golden family, to find a new child that may come to be with us one day. At times, it is said that one of them does pass through- and those children are most beloved of all._

 _Seventy years ago, I passed through that veil and came to live here and now I tend and take care of all you, my little Sprites. The ones that came before me were my ancestors and those who may come now, my descendants. For myself and those who will come, I can assure you: we all lived happily ever after._

 _Welcome home, Lucy Heartfilia- may your stay be blessed with Love and Happiness beyond your very dreams._

 _Welcome home, my darling niece._

* * *

 **Thank you all for the wonderful reviews/theories and thoughts that you sent me for this little story of mine! Sorry to say, none of you were quiet correct, but I hope this chapter answered a few, if not all, of your questions. (And maybe raised a few others, but that's part of the fun!) Inspiration for this story came from my love of Fairy Tales as a kid. Not just the general ones like Snow White and Cinderella- but Fairy Tales about "Fair Folk." Eating the food of a Fairy and being stuck in their world- stories like that.**

 **Anyway, I hope you all Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays- Happy New Year! Updates to my other stories will be coming soon! (You can always find more news about story updates via my tumblr at Rougescribe.)**

 **Thank You!**

 **Mira**


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